Northern Song Imperial Tombs 宋陵Sòng Líng

About Northern Song Imperial Tombs

The burial ground of the Northern Song emperors, spread over some 30 km² around Gongyi, where seven emperors and the father of the dynasty's founder lie with their empresses and hundreds of courtiers. More than 900 stone figures survive along the spirit roads, among them elephants, horses with grooms, rams, lions, foreign envoys and officials, many standing in open fields. The Yongzhao Tomb of Emperor Renzong (died 1063), in Gongyi city next to the Gongyi Museum, is the only one whose gate towers and walled enclosure have been rebuilt and is the easiest to visit.

How to get to Northern Song Imperial Tombs

Yongzhao Tomb is on Dufu Road in Gongyi city, about 1.5 hours by road west of Zhengzhou; the other tombs are scattered across the surrounding countryside and need a car.

Nearby

• Shaolin Temple 少林寺 30 km
  The cradle of Chan Buddhism and kung fu, at the foot of Mount Song
• White Horse Temple 白马寺 30 km
  China's first Buddhist temple, with Thai, Indian and Burmese halls beside it
• Longmen Grottoes 龙门石窟 50 km
  Some 100,000 Buddhas carved into riverside cliffs, watched over by a serene giant

Also within 20 km: Kang Baiwan Manor 康百万庄园 (under 10 km), Jiulong Temple, Yanshi 偃师九龙庙 (under 10 km), Stele of Huisheng Palace 会圣宫碑 (under 10 km), Gongyi Grottoes 巩县石窟 (under 10 km), Du Fu's Birthplace 杜甫故里 (under 10 km), Qinglong Mountain and Ciyun Temple 青龙山·慈云寺 (10 km).

On the map

Open Northern Song Imperial Tombs on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it and what else is close, and to add it to a trip.

Learn more

• Wikipedia (Chinese)